The Knitters Thread

blueberrypie

Pennylane wrote: »

I've noticed a big increase in charity shop prices of everything lately. A shop near me has a mens jacket for £18. :rolleyes: It's not in perfect condition and has had plenty of wear but because the label is a "posh" one they think it warrants that price. I am monitoring it and it's been hanging there 3 weeks now!! A while back they had beautiful Betty Barclay trousers in pristine condition for about £3 alongside Primark or Matalan ones at the same price.

I've noticed this about charity shops too - lots of things which really are over-priced for what they are or for being second-hand. Having said that, I did get myself a full-length wool coat a few weeks ago, M&S labels, fully-lined, clearly never worn, and similar to those being sold in M&S for about £140 - and I paid £7. I was well pleased! But that kind of thing does seem to be the exception these days.

willis

Hi everyone,
I am a first time poster and don't know that much! I want to make a blanket made up of several squares. I have no idea what type of wool I should use. I don't want a particularly fluffy one, just a nice normal cosy one. Is DK ok? Any particular brand/type to get or avoid? Should I get cotton or wool?
This is what confuses me most... I've looked at the 'choosing your wool' guides but unless someone tells me exactly what to get I'm clueless!
Also(sorry!) one pattern I found said to use a circular needle?? Why would I need that for squares? (or is this incorrect)

Thank you and sorry for all the questions.
x

Reverbe

willis let me know what ppl suggest. I am also about to start learning and for my 2 project I want to do a blanket made of squares like you.

mardatha

Well briefly, chunky wool knits up fastest but you need more of it....aran is the next size down. then DK, and dont touch 3 or 4ply !

Unity

willis wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I am a first time poster and don't know that much! I want to make a blanket made up of several squares. I have no idea what type of wool I should use. I don't want a particularly fluffy one, just a nice normal cosy one. Is DK ok? Any particular brand/type to get or avoid? Should I get cotton or wool?
This is what confuses me most... I've looked at the 'choosing your wool' guides but unless someone tells me exactly what to get I'm clueless!
Also(sorry!) one pattern I found said to use a circular needle?? Why would I need that for squares? (or is this incorrect)

Thank you and sorry for all the questions.
x

I'm a great fan of modular knitting where blankets are concerned as you never have to stitch the squares together. Here are a couple of links where you can look inside books to see how it is done and if it is what you want: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/193149911X/ref=sib_dp_pt/275-3823642-5145758#reader-page http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/1844481387/ref=sib_dp_pt/275-3823642-5145758#reader-link

As to what type of wool - it depends on what you want the end result to be like e.g. fine or substantial, the main thing is to keep to a similar thickness for a fairly uniform blanket, I would probably go for double-knit as this is probably the most common weight to be able to get lots of different colours or shades and it will also grow pretty quickly.

Circular needles - I'll be the first to admit that I am still wearing 'L' plates where these are concerned and so far have only knitted hats and sweaters, however if you are wanting to knit a blanket all in one colour as one big square, then this can be done using circulars. I would have a look at some of the dedicated knitting sites like ravelry.com or try searching on Youtube for videos to show you how to do this as I am surmising it might take some explaining and at this stage I'm the last person to do it . Good luck in your quest :T.

bikerchick1066

tooties wrote: »

Yesterday i went to our local charity shop in search of some bargain wool as my stash is becomming seriously depleted since i started my charity knitting.
i got my mucky little paws on 7 50 gramm balls of double knitting wool and took them to the counter where the price for each ball turned out to be.............. 75p per ball. i told the shop i didnt want it and went to my local shop where i got double knitting 100 gramm balls for £1.15 each.
i dont know how charity shops can justify asking such expensive prices.
anyways thats my rant for the day
regards
tooties

Tooties

I have two charity shops in my village. I bought four balls of mohair in one a couple of weeks ago for 50p each. In the other one last week, they wanted £1 each for baby DK. Obviously I didn't buy it!

Unity

natzini wrote: »

Hello everyone.

I have just started knitting and am currently working towards making a square! Go me!

I hope that this new hobby works out for me, I've heard it can be quite theraputic especially for people like me whose fingers swell.

I've joined Ravelry and hope to get into this!

Hi Natzini,

I've been knitting since childhood - which is quite a while ago now and I come from a family of arthritis sufferers - I also have RSI. I find that knitting keeps my fingers mobile without undue strain on my wrists and as I also have mobility problems, it helps to keep me sane - well that and having a wonderful OH who keeps the cups of tea coming :T.

There's also a group for MSE'ers on Ravelry - so might see you on there too?

carolinosourus

Hi everyone! Haven't posted for a while and hope this is the best place to post my question and that someone can help me. I've recently decided I'm going to take up knitting for something to do with my hands as I'm thinking about quitting smoking and trying to keep my head out of the fridge...
I've knitted the obligatory scarf but my mum did the casting off and casting on so I have no idea about those, however I have found some very good videos online so that's not really such an issue. However, my boyfriend has just bought a copy of Little Big Planet and has decided he'd like a "Sackboy" creature from it which is knitted. I've managed to get my hands on a PDF (not sure if I'm allowed to post it here, if anyone wants the link then please PM me), but it's asking for Cast on 12 sts with Click for base edge and st st 2 rows.
Can anyone tell me what casting on method is "click"? I've had a look around and can't find any method called click! Or am I just being a bit silly and asking a totally beginner-type question?

I'll probably be back with more questions, if someone can point me in the right direction if this is the wrong place to post then I'd be very grateful!
Thanks in advance,

Caroline

PS if anyone knows anywhere on-line I can pick up some cheap stuff I'd be glad to hear, as I'm a beginner I need everything! Also if there's anywhere that does cashback via quidco that would be even better

EDIT: it was me not reading the pattern properly, "click" is apparently the type of wool I need to use, the casting on stitch is "cable"...

Unity

carolinosourus wrote: »

Hi everyone! Haven't posted for a while and hope this is the best place to post my question and that someone can help me. I've recently decided I'm going to take up knitting for something to do with my hands as I'm thinking about quitting smoking and trying to keep my head out of the fridge...
I've knitted the obligatory scarf but my mum did the casting off and casting on so I have no idea about those, however I have found some very good videos online so that's not really such an issue. However, my boyfriend has just bought a copy of Little Big Planet and has decided he'd like a "Sackboy" creature from it which is knitted. I've managed to get my hands on a PDF (not sure if I'm allowed to post it here, if anyone wants the link then please PM me), but it's asking for Cast on 12 sts with Click for base edge and st st 2 rows.
Can anyone tell me what casting on method is "click"? I've had a look around and can't find any method called click! Or am I just being a bit silly and asking a totally beginner-type question?

I'll probably be back with more questions, if someone can point me in the right direction if this is the wrong place to post then I'd be very grateful!
Thanks in advance,

Caroline

PS if anyone knows anywhere on-line I can pick up some cheap stuff I'd be glad to hear, as I'm a beginner I need everything! Also if there's anywhere that does cashback via quidco that would be even better

EDIT: it was me not reading the pattern properly, "click" is apparently the type of wool I need to use, the casting on stitch is "cable"...

Hi,

This is the stuff you want http://www.kempswoolshop.com/search.aspx RRP £2.20. I have used it a few times and it's quite nice to knit with - it washes well too. I made a couple of jackets for my two daughters and then one for myself as well. It's quite chunky so it knits up really fast.

carolinosourus

Unity wrote: »

Hi,

This is the stuff you want http://www.kempswoolshop.com/search.aspx RRP £2.20. I have used it a few times and it's quite nice to knit with - it washes well too. I made a couple of jackets for my two daughters and then one for myself as well. It's quite chunky so it knits up really fast.

Many thanks for that! I don't suppose you could tell me whether I could stubstitute the Sirdar click chunky for something like the dalegarn freestyle, which is a chunky aran, or the dalegarn hauk which is also a double knit. Is there a rule when it comes to substituting wool or using different types to the one specified?